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Stress Points to Life Points Day 8

Sarah Francis Martin is a wife, mother, friend, mentor, author and wanna be artist. Shehas a passion to encourage women to make Jesus famous in every part of life. She is the author of Just RISE UP!: A Call To Make Jesus Famous (Thomas Nelson 2012). Sarah's relevant and conversational style will invigorate readers to live rise up off the couch of complacency live with faith-filled purpose for the renown of Jesus . When Sarah is not typing away at her laptop you can usually find her getting her hands messy with craft paint. Check out more at www.liveitoutblog.com.

2012Oct 22

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Welcome to Day 8 of Stress Points to Life Points!

Day 8 Stress Point Out On Your Own: Do You Know It All?

As a twenty-two year old, I seriously thought I knew it ALL. I thought I was miss hot stuff with a “grown-up” job and my own apartment. I thought I had it all together when for one month my check book balanced perfectly down to the penny. (yeah...that only lasted a month, but, hey!) I got pretty cocky thinking I had it all together now that I lived out on my own. Looking back at those years I realize I was far from a know it all and it is quite embarrassing thinking about that arrogance! Miss Independent desperately needed to get a grip and cling tight to her King.

Instead of sitting my “Miss Independent” hiney right at the throne of my King, I came up with my own answers and solutions to life. Thank goodness that our God doesn’t waste any mistakes because those years were ones I look back and think, “whew! What was I thinking?” Lesson learned, maturity gained. I could have saved myself a lot of heart ache and head ache had I approached my King and trusted Him for guidance and direction during those years of my twenties.

Truth Point: Your word is a lamp for my steps; it lights the path before me.

I have taken an oath and confirmed it: I pledge to do what You say is right

The journey through life as Miss Independent, fully dependent on your King, will not be without bumps and mess-ups and cleanups. Too often we pretend as if we know all the answers so we don’t have to depend on any- one for direction when we step out on our own into a grown-up life. The misconception that you have to know it all in order to live on your own blocks us from the meaningful experience of personal growth. Our King offers a wealth of wisdom in every area of life, even our Life Mechanics. Too often we think the concepts of the Bible don’t apply to the mundane details of our day, but they do! Though the Bible doesn’t directly address how to fix a discrepancy in our checkbook, it does give us encouragement to live life responsibly and with integrity. When we need direction on how to handle a disagreement with our coworker without causing a ruckus at our cubicle, the Word leads us to an attitude of humility and understand- ing. All of our Life Mechanics are addressed when we make ourselves avail- able in the Hiding Place, at the throne of our King, with an open mind and a need for His perfect wisdom.

Psalm 139:7–12 (THE VOICE) will lead us to grasp just what our Hid- ing Place, our King, has to offer when we worship, wait, and focus at the throne.

Can I go anywhere apart from Your Spirit? Is there anywhere I can go to escape Your watchful presence? If I go up into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in the realm of the dead, You are there. If I ride on the wings of morning, if I make my home in the most isolated part of the ocean, Even then You will be there to guide me; Your right hand will embrace me, for You are always there. Even if I am afraid and think to myself, “There is no doubt that the darkness will swallow me, the light around me will soon be turned to night,” You can see in the dark, for it is not dark to Your eyes.

Life Point: As we move through our stress and find life abundant an important habit to form is to dig into God’s word on a daily basis. It is when we immerse ourselves in God’s life changing book –– the Bible –– that we find answers to life’s biggest stress points. When we fill our heart with His goodness and wisdom, we replace our own weaknesses with His strength. This can only happen with consistent time in the Bible. For today’s life point, I encourage you to start reading through the Gospels. Just take a chapter a day starting with the book of Matthew in the New Testament. Before you begin say this prayer...

Father God, I want to know You more so I can live out my faith in all my stress points. Show me, through Your word, how to order my day. I’m trusting You to give me answers I need when I think I can come up with solutions on my own. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Find a quiet time in your day. Maybe it is in the morning before you start your crazy day. Maybe it is during your lunch hour at work. The key is consistency. Take a chapter a day starting with Matthew with the goal of simply getting to know Jesus through His story. With a prayerful heart and a mind that is full of His word (after reading the Bible), we will encounter God and order our lives so that our stress points become true life points. True answers are found in the Holy Word.

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I’m living as Miss Independent AND depending on my Jesus. #stresspointstolifepoints www.liveitoutblog.com